Pages

Celebrate 40 Years of San Diego PRIDE | SanDiegoVille Has Your Full Pride Guide and a Chance to Win 2 Weekend Passes to the Festival

July 11, 2014

This year is San Diego LGBT Pride’s 40th Anniversary! Join San Diego Pride from July 18-20 for a weekend of fabulous fun and entertainment. Kick off the weekend at the annual Spirit of Stonewall Rally and Pride of Hillcrest Block Party. Then strut your stuff at the Pride Parade, followed by the annual Pride Music Festival. This year's special guests and artists includes Laverne Cox and Taryn Manning from Netflix hit series, Orange is the New Black, plus Robbie Rivera, tyDi and many others. We have the full San Diego Pride Guide plus a chance to win 2 weekend passes to the Pride Music Festival. Enter our raffle below and read on to learn more!

Enter for a chance to win 2 two-day San Diego Pride Music Festival tickets!

Start off the 40th Annual Pride weekend with the Spirit of Stonewall Rally and Flag Raising on Friday, July 18, from 6-7 pm at Normal Street and University Avenue. Pride celebrations everywhere trace their heritage to the evening of June 28, 1969 when patrons of the Stonewall Inn in New York City said “No more!” to police harassment. That protest has grown to annual events held in major cities throughout the world. In San Diego, the first rally was held in 1975. The Spirit of Stonewall Rally is a time to recognize and honor leaders who are working hard to preserve LGBT rights and gains, and to meet the many challenges facing the collective community.

This year's theme is Reflections of Pride. Cheering crowds and energetic speakers all lead up to the annual raising of the Hillcrest Pride Flag and the unveiling of a new historic monument, officially launching San Diego Pride Weekend! The MC for this free community rally is Fernando Lopez, community activist and Public Affairs Director for San Diego LGBT Pride. Speakers include keynote speaker, renowned transgender advocate and star of Orange is the New Black, Laverne Cox, plus California Speaker of the Assembly, Toni Atkins, as well as veteran activist, Nicole Murray-Ramirez and San Diego City Council President & District 3 Representative, Todd Gloria.

Also on Friday, July 18, from 5-11pm, don't miss the Pride of Hillcrest Block Party! San Diego LGBT Pride and Fabulous Hillcrest are hosting the third annual premier event to kick off Pride weekend with urban style and flare. Hillcrest is shutting down the streets, bringing in the dance stages and throwing a gigantic BLOCK PARTY. Immediately following the historical Spirit of Stonewall Rally, enter the gates into the Pride of Hillcrest Block Party. The entertainment line up for the block party includes DJ John Joseph (7-8pm), Booniez Dance Crew (8-8:15pm), DJ Dirty Kurty (8:15-9:15pm), DJ Nikno (9:15-10:15pm) and actress Taryn Manning (10:15-11pm). Tickets to the Pride of Hillcrest Block Party are reserved for those 21 and over at the cost of $20 per person and can be purchased online.

On Saturday, July 19, from 11am - 1pm, the annual Pride Parade takes over the streets. The annual San Diego LGBT Pride Parade is the 4th largest in the United States attracting 200,000 cheering spectators, elected officials, community groups, military service members, first responders, and significant media participation. The Pride Parade is a free community event and is the best attended and largest single day event in San Diego. Taking place over a 1.5 mile route, the parade begins at the Hillcrest Pride Flag at University Ave and Normal St, proceeds west on University Ave, turns south on 6th Ave, turns left onto Balboa Dr and ends at Laurel St. There are 8 reviewing stands including an accessible Pride reviewing stand with ASL interpreters, shaded review stands for seniors, and bilingual reviewing stands.

Continue celebrating at the annual Pride Music Festival on Saturday July 19, from 12pm to 10pm and Sunday, July 20, from 11am to 8pm, an event featuring comedy, dancers, shopping, art, cultural presentations, food and tons of live entertainment. This year Pride is featuring artists like Robbie Rivera, tyDi, America Sierra, Deborah Cox, Charice and many others throughout Marston Point at Balboa Park (6th & Laurel St). Highlights include an expanded footprint in beautiful Balboa Park, NASA’s first official Pride event and interactive exhibit, free Arcade Alley, Cool Zone for those 55+, live art demonstrations and Art of Pride exhibit, the Leather Realm, UCSD HIV testing and education locations, Youth Zone, Children's Garden, Bike Corral, accessibility support, and Sobriety Support Lounge, as well as tons of food, a coffee corral and beverage gardens. Tickets are $20 for a 2 day pass and persons 15 and under are free to enter. Tickets may be purchased online at sdpride.org, along the parade route, or at the Music Festival gates. San Diego Pride welcomes everyone with an open heart to celebrate at the 40th annual event!

Featured Post

About SanDiegoVille

SanDiegoVille was created in 2010 with the goal to become the ultimate online source for information about all the fun & delicious happenings taking place around America's Finest City. We are a different kind of news site with no desire to conform to archaic ideas of how many believe journalism should be. We pound the pavement for our stories rather than get them spoon-fed to us by public relations companies. We are not here for the freebies and fanfare. We are here to entertain while at the same time spotlighting San Diego small businesses doing it right!

SanDiegoVille Social Media

Eat. Drink. Socialize. Simply San Diego! ™

We invite you to embrace SanDiegoVille™ as your source for what's happening in our small-town/big-city - from food to beer to entertainment to nightlife to day-life and beyond! We'll keep you in the know about all the fun & delicious happenings around San Diego!

SanDiegoVille.com endeavors to become a hyper-local source for all things San Diego! We are vivacious young professionals who love more than anything to ditch the monotony of the day job to explore America's Finest City, from the shore to the desert, and the hundreds of uniquely vibrant neighborhoods in between! We know San Diego! Although we are one of the largest cities in the U.S.A., it feels like a small, close knit community!

Get a Tuck - The Ultimate Comfort Companion From PocketChange Designs!